Suffocating defense. The Crimson Tide held LSU to only 92 yards of total
offense and did not allow the Tigers to cross midfield until midway through the
fourth quarter. When Tide fans think about dominant defense now, they won't
think of 1992. They won't think of 1978. They'll think of 2011.

Key
moment

Down 15-0, LSU drove to Alabama's 32 midway through the fourth quarter,
its first and only foray into Tide territory. But DeQuan Menzie threw Michael
Ford for a 3-yard loss, Jordan Jefferson threw two incomplete passes and Dont'a
Hightower stripped the ball away from Jefferson on fourth down, with Nick Gentry
recovering to end the threat and, essentially, the game.

Three
stars

Courtney
Upshaw. The senior linebacker was the biggest impact player on a defense
full of them, leading the Tide with seven tackles and a sack. He was a frequent
visitor to the LSU backfield.

Jeremy
Shelley. After Alabama's special teams
contributed to its downfall in the first meeting with LSU, Shelley made sure it
wouldn't happen again. Typically the Tide's short-yardage kicker, Shelley took
all seven of the Tide's attempts, a new record for any bowl game, and tied the
record for made field goals with five. He was 2-of-4 from beyond 40
yards.

AJ
McCarron. After his ability to lead the Tide to a
title was questioned throughout the year, the sophomore from Mobile did just
that -- and did it in style. He completed 23 of 34 passes for 234 yards and,
while he had no touchdowns, he also threw no interceptions.



Where'd
he come from?

When Marquis Maze pulled a hamstring on a 49-yard punt return in the
first quarter, the Crimson Tide lost its top receiver for the rest of the game.
Kevin Norwood filled the void, however, catching four passes for a game-high 78
yards, an average of 19.5 yards per catch.

Rough
day

Jordan Jefferson has made a lot of great memories at LSU, but his last
game as a Tiger will be one he'd probably prefer to forget. He completed 11 of
17 passes for 53 yards and one interception, an ill-advised shovel pass that
went straight to Alabama LB C.J. Mosley. He also ran for 15 yards on 14
attempts, a total that includes four sacks.

Call of
the day

Alabama ran 30 first-down plays. Nineteen of them were passes. Four of
the 11 first-down runs came in the fourth quarter, as Alabama started running
clock with a 15-0 lead. Alabama coach Nick Saban said after the game that
throwing on first down was a strategy his staff decided it didn't do often
enough in the first meeting between the teams. "We knew we were going to have to
throw the ball on first down to move the football offensively," he
said.

What
fans are saying

Saban wouldn't say so -- "I don't like to make comparisons," he said -- but
this could be the most dominant defense in Alabama history. Before Monday
night's game, LSU coach Les Miles was getting questions about whether his team
might be the best in college football history. After Monday, the only thing
people are talking about is whether the Tide's defense is the best
ever.

Looking
ahead

While Alabama revels in its second national
title in the past three years, the only question now is how many of these
Crimson Tide stars will return. Juniors Trent Richardson, Dre Kirkpatrick,
Robert Lester and Dont'a Hightower all face decisions on whether to declare for
the NFL draft or return for their senior year. Those decisions can wait,
however. Monday night was a time for celebration. 